A Long Lost Friend
by KimKatastrophe
Summary: Sasuke only had two friends growing up, Itachi and Hoshi. However, after the massacre, Hoshi went missing and Sasuke was sure she was dead. But when the Chunin exams begin, a certain Uchiha will return to her home village. What will happen when the two meet again? Who is the mysterious man that she claims to have saved her that night? Not sure about pairings yet, we'll see!
1. Prologue

Sasuke leaned out his window and stared up at the moon. He pulled a picture out of his pocket. It showed him as a child with one of his old friends. He stared at the young girl in the picture and sighed, "I was so close to saving you."

He walked over to his bed and shut off the light. He had nightmares all night of the night his brother killed his clan.

Star looked up at the moon and smiled. She turned to face her longtime friend, Gaara, and beamed.

"What are you so happy about?" He asked coldly.

"The Chunin exams are starting soon, so we have to go to the land of fire! I haven't been there since I was taken away from home. Plus I know in my gut that Sasuke survived!" She spoke confidently.

"You know he probably isn't. You say it yourself all the time. If he was alive, you would've found each other by now." He replied grimly.

"You never know!" She said as she clapped her hands together.

"Time to go already?" He asked.

"Yup! Early to bed, early to rise sweet Gaara. I'll see you in the morning!" She smiled as she went out the door.

She went to bed and dreamt all night of meeting Sasuke again. She hadn't seen her best friend in so long.


	2. Chapter 1: The Chunin Exams Begin

Star walked up the dirt path until the gate to the hidden leaf village was visible. She ran as fast as she could to it, leaving her teammates, Shiori and Chihero, far behind. Once she arrived she had her paperwork looked at and within minutes she was inside the gates of her old home. She swiveled her head all around, not knowing when and where she might see Sasuke.

Just as she gave up hope, her and her teammates were walking across a bridge. Leaning against the side was a tall pale boy with onyx eyes and hair as dark as a crow's feathers.

"What a cutie." Chihero blushed.

"Yea, yea." Shiori smiled.

When Star looked up from her feet, she saw him too. His eyes widened at the sight of her. She walked up to him slowly, "Are you Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Depends on who's asking." He said coldly, but it was all a front. He knew who she was, and the fact that she had survived made him feel guilty for never searching for her.

Her smile faded, "I'm Star, Star of the Uchiha clan."

"Star? But you're…" Sasuke started.

She interrupted, "Yes, but due to my specific circumstances, that had to change."

He nodded and smirked, "You look so different. I've never seen your hair this long before…and your eyes are…different."

"Well, I am an Uchiha. My eyes are always strained; practicing use of the Sharingan is hard strenuous work." She smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"What brings you here?" He asks.

"He doesn't know?" Chihero asked curiously.

"Some power, if he was as strong as you claim, he would know…" Shiori scoffed.

"Oh hush, I'm sure he just hasn't found out yet. Sasuke, we're here for the Chunin exams." Star smiled.

She looked in his eyes for a moment and flashed back to him screaming at her to leave his house. When Itachi had appeared, she ran until she ran into _him_. _He_ took her to the Village Hidden in the Sand. _He_ told her that her destiny awaited there. _He_ blessed her with unimaginable power that he was going to pass on to Sasuke soon enough. She twitched at the thought. She grabbed the mark that was half on her shoulder, half on her neck.

Sasuke gave her a look, "You ok?"

"Yes, just remembering some unfortunate events." She shrugged, keeping her hand firmly on the mark.

_Does it burn my dove?_ His voice cooed in her head.

She winced, last time they spoke; he had hit her for suggesting she tell Sasuke before he marked him. She wouldn't make hasty mistakes like that again.

"Where's your team?" Chihero asked lightly.

"Dunno, don't care." He shrugged, never letting his eyes leaver Star's.

"I sense Kankuro causing problems." Shiori frowned.

"Let Gaara handle his siblings." Star smirked.

Sasuke could hear Naruto on the other side of the wall across from him. He jumped up into a tree and observed the trouble.

By the time Star walked to where her fellow sand genin were, all was calm.

"What's happened?" she asked, sensing Gaara's annoyance.

"Kankuro was bullying these children." Temari explained.

Star shot him a glare before looking to Sasuke, "Sorry for the trouble Sasuke, see ya."

She started walking away.

Sakura and Naruto just looked at Sasuke curiously. Naruto was the first to speak, "Who is she?"

"None of your business." He said, continuing after the purple haired girl.

Sakura sighed and thought to herself, '_She's beautiful_.'

"Star wait!" Sasuke called after her.

She turned to face him, "We really must go, but meet me here tonight!"

He didn't say a word; he just nodded in agreement and watched as the Sand Genin walked to whatever inn they were to stay at.

That night as Star was preparing to leave, Gaara grabbed her arm.

"What?" she questioned.

"You know you'll only cause him more pain. Your alliance is sickening, and as your friend, I advise against this." He said, keeping his voice monotone.

She gave him a big smile, "Gaara, you know I have to do this. Sasuke and I aren't children anymore. Years have passed since we last saw each other."

"Ever stop to think that your feelings even after all these years, haven't changed?"

The question made her pause to think before replying, "I love him like a brother still, that much is true, but it won't distract me from my mission. Your father, the Kazekage, has agreed to work with Orochimaru to destroy the hidden leaf, I'm but a simple pawn in that plan."

"Ever get tired of being the pawn. You used to tell me stories of the great Uchiha clan. You would shame them if they could see you now. What about your mother, father, and brother?"

The word brother made her snap and punch the wall next to Gaara's face. He didn't move, flinch, or say another word. He just watched as she pulled her fist back, and jumped out of the window.

"I have faith in you." Gaara said simply as he exited the room.

When Star arrived at the small bridge where she was to meet Sasuke, she leaned against its railing and sighed. _'That could've gone better.'_ She thought.

"Hos-I mean Star!" She heard Sasuke call.

She turned her head slightly to see the raven-haired Uchiha approaching her.

"Hello there Sasuke. Now we can talk." She smiled.

He gave his best smile back, but seeing her brought back all the memories from the night his older brother slayed their whole clan.

_"Sasuke!" he heard her scream as the door to his home slid open._

_ "Hoshi, run!" he cried._

_ His brother who had been standing in front of him was now gone. Sasuke ran as fast as he could downstairs to see Itachi pointing his sword at her._

_ Sasuke jumped in front of her with a Kunai in his hands, "Just go!"_

_ She nodded and ran out the door._

He looked up at her with a serious expression on his face, "What happened to you that night? How are you alive? Itachi doesn't make mistakes."

"It's kind of complicated." She rubbed the back of her head as she tried to think of the best way to explain it.

"Well obviously. How did you end up in the hidden sand village?" He kept firing his questions at her.

"I ran out of colony and into the heart of the village where a man found me. He was kind and took me to Suna the moment I explained what had happened. I tried to get him to go back for you, but he said it was too dangerous, so he just took me. The Kazekage gave me a new name in case Itachi ever went looking for me." She explained as best she could without giving away who the man was.

"Does the Hokage know you're alive?!" he asked yet another question.

She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Sasuke, enough of that for one night. Let's just talk about happier things!"

He sighed, "You're right. My sensei told my squad about the Chunin exams today shortly after that incident with the gourd guy."

Star paused for a moment before she fell to the ground laughing, "The gourd guy! That is too much!"

"I don't see how that's funny. It makes sense to call him that! He carries a huge gourd on his back." Sasuke looked away, a little embarrassed.

"I know, I know. But that gourd is probably the most dangerous thing he has and for you to talk about it lightly like that just makes me laugh!"

"How much do you know about him?" Sasuke began to question her again.

"How much do I know? Everything. How much will I divulge? Nothing." She laughed a little more.

"If I have to face him during the exams, it would be nice to know what I'm up against." He explained.

"Well, he said the same thing about you, but I didn't spill your secrets. Of course, he already knows about the sharingan." She got up and leaned against the rail again.

"Mine awoken on my previous mission. How long have you had yours?" he asked.

"So many questions with you Uchiha." She giggled.

"Uchiha? You're an Uchiha." He pointed out.

"No! My name is Star Izaki. I come from the village hidden in the sand. My parents died when I was young whilst on a mission and I never had any siblings." She responded like a robot.

"How many times did you have to repeat that to learn it?" His brow furrowed.

"Too many! Oh, and as for your last question, my sharingan awoke while I was in training. I was about ten. I've mastered it you know. It's fully developed." She stuck her tongue out and waited for him to act impressed.

He just got more serious, "Even Mongekyo?"

She froze, and knew instantly he was thinking of Itachi. She sighed and rubbed her temples, "No, you know the only way to do that is harsh and not worth it."

He put his hands in his pockets, "Yea."

Sasuke froze as Star wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "I missed you. I never knew if you lived or not."

He felt wetness on his shoulder. When he finally registered that she was crying, he wrapped his arms around her waist and embraced her, "I missed you too."


	3. Chapter 2: The Written Test

Two days passed and all Star had time to do was train with her teammate, Chihero.

"I'm really worried about the first test being today and all…I'm not a good fighter." Chihero frowned.

"We know." Shiori spat with venom oozing from every word.

Chihero looked down and started to cry. Star turned to Shiori and punched her on the head before turning back to Chihero. She started patting her head, "It's ok Chihero! We'll all do just fine!"

Chihero instantly smiled, "Thanks Star!"

Star nodded as her thoughts began to take her to Sasuke. She hadn't seen him since that night, but she was sure to see him today.

"Time to go." Shiori grimaced and she began walking towards the Konoha academy building.

Once they arrived, they started climbing the stairs. Once on the second floor, they saw a huge crowd of people starting to separate.

"What happened here I wonder?" Chihero questioned.

"Who knows who cares?" Shiori shrugged and kept climbing to the third floor.

Star rolled her eyes and followed, with Chihero clinging to her.

When they finally reached the door, they entered the room and went to the back to wait with everyone else. Everything was calm, until another team came in and stirred up a scene with the other rookie genin.

"How obnoxious." Shiori complained.

"You'd fit right in." Star snapped back.

"Look it's your boyfriend. Go play." Shiori glared.

"Ok." Star smirked as she walked over to the crowd of rookies.

"Oh guys, you're being really loud, you might want to chill out." Star suggested.

"I was just suggesting the same thing." A silver haired boy with glasses commented.

Star smirked, "Who are you?"

He smirked back, "I'm Kabuto. It's nice to meet you all."

Sasuke couldn't help but note the body language of the two ninja that just came on scene. It's as if they knew each other. More than that, they trusted each other. He walked next to Star and whispered in her ear, "Do you know him?"

Star just shook her head. She was trying not to let the girls see them talk, but Ino had seen the whole thing.

"Just who the hell are you?! Why are you all over Sasuke?!" Ino interrogated.

Before Star could answer, Kabuto pulled out a card and began to read from it, "Star Izaki. Genin. Her teammates are Chihero Izu and Shiori Tadame. She's been on thirteen D-rank missions, ten C, and one A and B. She's very advanced with Gen-jutsu. Her Tai and Nin-jutsu's are also very high."

Star smirked, "You know a lot."

"I got it off my ninja info cards. I have at least one thing on everyone here." He bragged.

"You might want to update your info, as of a few months ago, my Nin-jutsu got better than my Gen-jutsu."

"Well either way, your Gen- Jutsu is strong, what else would you expect from a true Uchiha?" he narrowed his eyes on her.

Everyone gasped then became quiet. Sasuke immediately sensed danger in that statement, "How did you know that?!"

"I told you, I know a lot." He shrugged.

Star just nodded. _'He must want me to feel free to use my sharingan here…'_ she thought.

"If you're an Uchiha…then that means you come from here…" Sakura half asked, half stated.

"You don't say?" Star glared.

Sakura backed up a few steps, very intimidated by Star's harsh blue eyes.

"Hey back off!" Naruto spoke up, hyper as always.

"And who are you?" Star glared.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Future fifth Hokage!" He smiled and showed his headband.

"Oh wow…you really are something kid." Star smirked.

Sasuke shot her a quick glare. Star took that as a back off sign. '_Didn't he literally complain about how much he hates his useless teammates?'_ She thought.

When she stopped thinking, she looked to the floor to see Kabuto explaining all the hidden villages. All she heard when she tuned in was, "The Sound village is small, kind of a mystery."

"Hey, you should quit babbling before you get in trou-…" Star was interrupted by one of the sound genin jumping at Kabuto to right hook him. Kabuto moved just in time to dodge the hit. However, once he smiled in victory, his glasses broke and he began to throw up on the ground.

"Hey I saw that, he didn't even hit him!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Must have been closer than we thought." Shikamaru explained.

Star knelt beside him, "You alright Kabuto?"

"Yea, I think." He said slowly.

Star looked up at the sound ninja, he was covered in bandages, only one eye showed through. She stood up and pulled out a kunai, "If you want to fight, I'll gladly put you in your place you swine."

He smiled beneath his bandages and held up his arm, "I would love to crush you little girl."

Before either one could strike, the Procter appeared in the middle of the room, "Alright you baby-faced degenerates. Pipe down! No fighting unless you're told to! The first phase of the exam begins now! So let's go!"

Star put away her Kunai and joined her teammates.

Once they were in the room for the exam, they all picked numbers and sat in the appropriate seats. The Procter explained that it was a written test with ten questions. You start with a hundred, and lose ten points every question you get wrong. However, the tenth question would be given out towards the end of the exam. He made it very clear that you were not to cheat. If you were caught cheating, you lost ten points. So if you get caught ten times, you're out, and that means your teammates go with you.

Star realized right away that they wanted you to cheat, probably to test your skills at gathering Intel. If Star was good at anything, it was gathering information.

As soon as the test began, she activated her sharingan and looked for the person closest to her that appeared to know what they were doing. When she caught them, she copied the movements of their hands. She made sure her bangs covered her eyes, so no one would see they've turned red. She finished quickly and looked around. She saw Sasuke using her method. She couldn't help but smile, who knew they thought alike?

_'I wonder how Chihero and Shiori are doing…how can I get this info to them?'_ she wondered.

She only knew one sure way, and it was risky, but if she concentrated hard enough, she could.

She closed her eyes and focused, when she opened her eyes, she had both Shiori and Chihero 'trapt' in a gen-jutsu.

"How the hell did you do that?" Shiori questioned.

"I've been practicing. Do you want the answers or not?" She questioned.

They both nodded and Star gave them all the info they needed. As soon as they were done, she broke the gen-jutsu and placed her head down to rest until the final question was given.

Time passed, and finally the Procter spoke up, "Ok, this question comes with new rules. If you get this question wrong, you automatically fail, and if you fail you and your teammates will never be allowed to take this test again."

"Wait so you're saying that-…" Temari spoke up.

He finished for her, "That whoever fails will be stuck a Genin forever. However, you can quit now and come back again next year if you'd rather not risk it."

He waited for hands to come in the air. Teams slowly gave up and exited the room. Star looked directly in front of her and saw Naruto shaking a few rows in front of her. _'This kid should just give up. Sasuke is probably fine, and Sakura seems smart, but that kid…he'll be their downfall.'_ She smirked to herself.

Naruto put his hand in the air and paused. For a moment, everyone assumed he was giving up. Before the Procter could have him and his team escorted out, Naruto slammed his hand down on the desk and stood up shouting, "If you think you're gonna scare me away, you're dead wrong! Believe it!"

Star's eyes widened, she was shocked that the kid had guts after all.

Everyone began to nod and speak words of encouragement. No hands went up in the air, it seemed all the quitters had gone.

The Procter shook his head and smiled, "Alright, if that's all, you pass."

Star looked up in shock, as many people did, but Naruto was the only one to speak, "Wait, what?!"

"This was a test to see how well you could gather information. Then at the end we wanted to weed out anyone who couldn't handle the pressure. I must say, I'm impressed at how many of you are still here."

Before he could finish his speech, a purple haired woman burst through the window and started speaking, "Alright you maggots! If you thought this was tough then-…"

"Anko." The Procter said.

"Yes?"

"You're early." He sighed.

"Hey there's a bunch of you, you were too easy on them Ibiki." Anko spoke up.

Star sighed and began to ignore the two Procter's in front of her. She looked over to Sasuke. He must have felt her eyes on him, because he turned to look at her. She gave him a thumbs and smiled. He returned the thumbs up, but for some reason, he wasn't returning her smile.

She gave him a questioning look and he mouthed 'later' to her.


	4. Chapter 3: The Forest of Death

The remaining Genin were standing outside the gate that led to a forest. Everyone was talking, waiting for the Procter. Star searched the crowd for Sasuke and eventually found him with Sakura and Naruto.

"Hey, you said later! It's later!" she smirked at him.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from his squad, "Look, I was thinking…can you teach me what you can about the Sharingan?"

"Whoah, the great Sasuke, asking for help?" she teased.

"Just say yes or no." He looked away.

"After this portion of the test! Sound good?" She smiled and held out her hand.

He shook it and smirked, "Sounds good."

"Sasuke!" Sakura called to him.

"Coming." He called back.

He turned and walked back over to his team. Chihero appeared at Star's side, clinging to her arm like a lost child. Shiori leaned her arm on Star's shoulder, opposite Chihero and smirked, "He's really cute, but he REALLY looks like an Uchiha."

Star cringed, it bothered her. She knew that she didn't look like an Uchiha. Her purple hair and blue eyes were quite opposite to their black hair and onyx eyes. She sighed and lifted her shirt to reveal her belly, and the strange seal on it.

_'It's your fault after all…'_ she looked down as she pushed her shirt back to its original position.

"Alright maggots! Welcome to the second stage of the Chunin exams! Before we let you in we need you to sign these release forms!" Anko, the Procter explained.

"Release forms?" Someone questioned.

"Oh yea. They call this The Forest of Death. We need you to sign these releases so no one can sue us for your injuries or death. So, here's the deal, when you all turn in your forms, you get a scroll. You'll either get a heaven or earth scroll. Your job is to survive the forest and steal another team's scroll. So if you have an earth scroll, you need to get a heaven scroll. Once you have both, go to the tower in the center of the forest. Do not open them until you've reached the tower." She smiled casually.

"What if we open them earlier?" a boy asked.

"Trust me young man, you don't want to know." She replied.

Everyone got tense and serious, but Shiori just smiled, "Some of us don't have people to sue them if we die…right Star?"

Chihero stiffened on Star's arm, very nervous of how she would take the joke.

"If you were anyone else, you'd be dead. Then again, who would know better about that then you?" Star smirked.

"Chihero you're the odd ball here. How's it like having a family still living?" Shiori questioned.

Chihero started to sweat; she didn't like being the focus of Shiori's bitterness.

"Leave her alone." Star commanded.

"Hm…yes ma'am." She laughed.

Star returned her attention to the Procter who had for some reason attacked Naruto, and now some grass ninja was being creepy.

"Ew, that grass ninja has a long tongue I do not trust!" Chihero shivered.

Star just smiled as her and the grass ninja locked eyes for a moment.

No one noticed, except Shiori, who just gave Star a funny look.

When the forms finally reached the three girls, they each took one and went their separate ways to fill them out.

When Star was done, she went to find Chihero. She found her sitting by the river, sighing and deep in thought as usual.

"You don't have to you know." The sudden voice made Chihero jump.

She turned around and met Star's sincere eyes, "No! It's alright! Shiori would get mad if I didn't do this and dragged you guys back home with me."

"Screw that bitch. She's just trying to bully you into getting her way. You don't need to feel obligated." Star sat beside the girl who had been her first friend in Suna.

They both were silent as they stared into the water. Finally, Chihero broke the silence, "I know I'm weak, and no good in an up close fight, but I will stay by your side, so that you can accomplish your dreams" she paused, "and for Shiori, she deserves to be a Chunin!"

Star's eyes widened as they met Chihero's innocent brown ones. Chihero stuck out her tongue and winked. Star just shook her head and smiled, "Come on, we have forms to turn in!"

The whole team turned in their forms and got an Earth scroll. They agreed that Star should hold onto it, even though Shiori thought she would do a better job guarding it.

The team went to their gate, and as soon as it opened, they darted into the woods.

"Let's get the scroll quickly; I have my own orders to fulfill once he's ready." Star smirked as they jumped from tree to tree.

Chihero frowned, "Don't you think…he's bad news?"

"I'm sorry, but who saved me? Who taught me all I know? Not our sensei." Star replied bitterly.

"My turn to say leave her alone." Shiori shot.

"Hm." Star sighed as they continued deeper into the forest.

Her team quickly stumbled upon a leaf village squad. They hid patiently until one of the team members went to get food.

"Shiori." Star whispered.

Shiori followed the lonely leaf ninja until they were far away. Shiori pulled the metal boomerang from her back. She smirked at her prey, "It's a shame I just sharpened this, it's gonna hurt so much less."

Shiori threw the device towards the ninja and before he even knew what was happening, he had been cut in half. He never made a peep.

After checking the body Shiori returned to confirm that he didn't have a scroll.

"I have an idea to separate the two." Chihero smiled as she threw a small rock towards the direction their team member had gone.

"What was that?" one boy asked.

The girl shrugged and wandered over to where the rock had been thrown, "Ichi, is that you?"

Chihero used her chakra to form puppet strings and attached them to the girl and pulled the girl toward her and quickly cupped her mouth so she couldn't scream. Chihero pulled out a rag covered in a powder that would knock the girl out. She placed it over the girl's nose and mouth. Once she was out, Chihero checked her for a scroll, but there was none.

Star smirked and jumped down to where the last member was. He pulled out a kunai and threw it towards her. She dodged it quickly and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was using her Sharingan. She could predict this boys move easily, even if she had not used the sharingan, but it pays not to underestimate your opponent.

She pulled her sword from her back and ran straight toward the boy. He tried to move but couldn't. Chihero had put her strings of chakra on him, forcing the poor boy to stay where he was.

Star lifted her sword high and swung it down, cutting deep into his chest. He fell to the ground and was quickly covered in his own blood. Star searched his body and found the scroll. She smirked at it and held it in the air so her teammates could see. They both smiled when they saw it was a heaven scroll.

They jumped down to join their comrade. Shiori sighed, "Alright let's go already!"

"Yes! This place is scary!" Chihero whimpered.

"Not just yet. I haven't heard from Orochimaru yet. I can't go until I've done my job." Star replied callously.

"Fine. Let's at least go ahead and make camp somewhere, it'll be dark soon." Shiori suggested.

"Alright." Star shrugged as the three continued forward.

It wasn't long before they found a clearing and made camp. The sun was just about to set. Chihero sat beside Star who was leaning against a giant root of a tree. They cuddled up close for warmth, each holding out an arm signaling Shiori to join them.

She just ignored them and laid on the ground alone. Star shrugged as Chihero put her head on Star's shoulder and began to fall asleep.

A loud scream caught their attention. Chihero didn't open her eyes, she just spoke lightly, "Didn't that sound like that pink haired girl…what was her name?"

"Sakura…Haruno?" Shirori said slowly, trying to recall.

"Yea. That sounds right. I wonder how Sasuke and Naruto are doing." Star questioned to no one in particular.

"Sasuke is probably fine, and Naruto…well who knows. Isn't he a Jinchuriki like Gaara?" Shiori wondered.

"That's what they say." Star sighed.

"Like you." Chihero was barely above a whisper, hell she was barely conscious.

"Jinchuriki is a special name for those who carry tailed beasts inside them. I am not one of those people." Star corrected.

"You have the Goddess of the Sky trapped in you." Shiori recalled.

"Yea. I've grown accustomed to her voice inside my head, making my life that much more intolerable." Star sighed.

Just as the sun fell from the sky, another scream was heard. This one, however, was clearly calling for Sasuke.

Suddenly Star heard a male's voice in her head, "Go."

She smiled, "Of course I hear other voices in my head."

She stood up, letting Chihero fall over, which woke her up. Both her teammates looked at her.

"Where are you going?" Chihero questioned.

"It's show time." She smiled at both of them.

They both stood reluctantly and followed her through the forest. They only stopped when they found Sakura.

"Dawn." Star said.


	5. Chapter 4: Curse Mark

The sun began to shows its rays through the treetops. Sakura began to open her eyes slowly, and then when she realized she had been asleep, she forced them open fully.

She could feel a strange chakra nearby, a powerful one. She drew a kunai and held it tightly.

"Sakura." Star called as she landed right in front of the pink haired girl.

"Star…what are you…?" Sakura started.

"Give me Sasuke. In return, Shiori and Chihero will stay here and help you guard Naruto." She said as she saw the two boys unconscious behind Sakura.

She tightened her grip on the kunai, "Why Sasuke? Are you with that Orochimaru guy?! He bit Sasuke and now there's a mark on him and he won't wake up and he's got a fever…" she babbled helplessly, fear taking over.

"He's strong, he'll live. I went through the same transformation at a much younger age." Star assured her.

She reached a hand out to touch Sasuke but Sakura smacked it away.

"You can't have him!" Sakura shouted.

"Oh?" Star smiled as her own curse mark started to expand over her whole body. Her hair grew even longer and darker. Her eyes were black where the white should be, and her Iris was yellow. Her skin turned grey and she grew a huge tail with spikes at the end.

Sakura's eyes widened in horror, she quickly stood up and held the kunai up, pointed at Star.

Star pushed her arm forward and it grew and shot out, forcing Sakura against one of the large trees. She gripped hard and tossed Sakura across the clearing.

Sakura fell hard to the ground. She tried to get up, but failed. She laid on the ground in defeat.

"Weak." Star frowned as her transformation withdrew and she returned to normal.

Shiori and Chihero jumped down from their place and each grabbed one of Sakura's arms. They held her up and dragged her over to Naruto as Star walked the opposite direction with Sasuke in her arms.

"What will you do to him?" Chihero asked grimly, her gut telling her this was wrong.

"I'm going to make sure he survives. I'll be back in fifteen minutes tops." Star assured them as she disappeared with the unconscious boy.

She appeared on the branch of a large tree and laid him down in front of her. She kneeled over him as she turned his head so she could place her hands on the mark.

She did a few hand signs and pushed both hands firmly on the mark. He remained unconscious but he screamed and thrashed.

"Sorry Sasuke, it's for the best." She frowned. She didn't like hurting him, in fact she was quite mad she had to, but in the end it was for the best.

When she finished, she went back to where Chihero and Shiori were.

She placed Sasuke where he had been and took Sakura's head in her hands. The sudden motion caused her to wake up; she looked into Star's now red eyes from the sharingan. Star trapped her in a gen-jutsu, "Forget we were here."

As she finished, Sakura fell unconscious once again. Star and her team ran off to go to the tower and finish this part of the exams.

"Should we have left her like that? I sensed other ninja." Chihero worried.

"She isn't our problem." Star said simply.

"But Sasuke is." Shiori shot.

"Not anymore." Star replied angrily as they kept moving.

When they finally reached the tower, they ran into Gaara's squad.

"How did you do?" Kankuro asked Chihero.

"Well! How about you guys?" Chihero blushed.

"Good. Gaara went a little overboard, but what else is new?" Kankuro laughed nervously.

"What?" Gaara asked threateningly.

"Nothing!" Kankuro began to sweat as he rubbed the back of his head.

Gaara turned his attention to Star, "So, did you succeed?"

"Obviously. I'm here aren't I?" She said sarcastically.

"I meant with Uchiha." Gaara replied even more short tempered than usual. He wasn't in the mood to play games with her.

"Yea." She replied just as annoyed.

"Well, the Kazekage gave his official orders. We are now officially at the service of that snake guy." Temari frowned.

"Orochimaru you stupid piece of!" Star was cut off by his voice in her head.

"Let it go my dove."

Star just grit her teeth and went to find the room where they could open the scrolls.

"Found it, let's go!" Star yelled when her teammates kept talking and didn't follow.

They both sighed and ran after her. When they shut the doors of the room, they opened both scrolls. Their sensei appeared before them.

"Sensei?" Chihero questioned.

"I'm just here to congratulate you on completing this portion of the exam. You still have a whole day until it's over. So please, rest and get your strength back. The next challenge won't be for another month, unless of course there are too many of you." She explained.

"Preliminary stuff?" Shiori asked.

"Yes, that's how they cut the number." She smiled before disappearing.

"What would a preliminary round be like?" Chihero wondered out loud.

"Probably just fights." Shiori concluded.

"It could be anything, and if it happens, we have to rest while we can." Star smiled.

"Star?" Chihero questioned.

"I didn't come this far to fail." Star smirked at her teammates.

They each smiled and followed her back to where Gaara was. Star sat beside the red head and leaned a head on his shoulder. He placed his head on hers and the two fell asleep.

Kiba and his team entered the tower and wandered past the sand genin, getting very tense as they all noticed Gaara.

Star opened her eyes and made eye contact with the dog boy and smiled, "Why so tense? People would think that you saw something scary out there."

His eyes widened and his team sped into another area of the huge tower.

Star closed her eyes as Gaara spoke, keeping his eyes shut as well, "They must have been the ones I sensed when I killed those rain ninja."

"You went hard, didn't you?" Star giggled.

"We needed blood." He said simply as he nuzzled her hair, trying to get comfortable.

She laughed a little, trying not to shake Gaara, "I know the feeling."

"Have you not gone all out yet?" Gaara asked, genuinely curious.

"I've barely used my sharingan, and I have yet to use my specialty jutsu." She smirked.

"God help whoever gets the brunt of your force." He said, monotone again.

A day passed, and it finally reached the time that everyone was to arrive at the tower. Everyone who had already arrived and were waiting got called into the tower's center. The genin lined up and stayed relatively quiet until the Hokage spoke.

"Because there are so many of you left, we are going to have a preliminary round immediately, if you aren't feeling up to it, please raise your hand and you can go. This will be one on one fights with names randomly chosen by a computer." He explained.

Star looked to Gaara who was shaking. Chihero leaned over Star's shoulder, "What's wrong with him?"

"Ever hear of blood lust?" Star smirked before turning to her side to see Sakura about to raise her hand.

Star stared as Sasuke quickly smacked and held her hand down; his other hand was holding his curse mark. She could hear him get angry with the girl, "You can't tell them about this mark. It's nothing. I can fight Sakura."

The girl began to cry, "I just don't want it to happen again." She began to recall the scene in the forest of death.

_She had been attacked by the sound ninja and was badly beat up, but she was still fighting, along with a few of the other rookies. When Sasuke awoke, the curse mark had started to spread over his body, and his chakra was different. He asked her who had hurt her. When she failed to respond, one of the cocky sound ninja announced that he had done it. Sasuke turned to him, and ran so fast no one even saw him. He appeared behind the ninja and pulled both his arms behind him and placed his foot on the boy's back, pulling on his arms until they both broke._

_ Sasuke went to continue his rampage, but Sakura ran to him from behind and hugged him and cried into his back, "Stop! Please…"_

She shook her head back to the current situation, "That wasn't you…"

Sasuke moved his hand from hers and placed it on her shoulder, "It'll be alright. Promise."

She sniffled and just nodded, giving in at last.

Star tapped Sasuke's shoulder. He turned and looked at her concerned face. He sighed, "I'll explain later."

"Actually, I will." She smiled, concern erased from her expression.

"What do you mean?" He asked confused.

"I know so much more than you think." She smirked as she turned to face forward again.

He stared at her back for a few seconds before her hand went up and pointed forward. He rolled his eyes and looked forward.

When no one raised their hands to leave, the Hokage sighed, "Well then, everyone go up the sides of either staircase and wait for the first names to be called."

The genin did as told and each team went to either side of the arena.

The computer was randomly shuffling names. When it stopped, the words on the screen made Star tremble with anticipation.

Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi Akado. Yoroi was from Kabuto's team, Star knew him and shivered.

_'Fight hard Sasuke…or he'll kill you.'_ She thought.


	6. Chapter 5: Preliminary Rounds

The fight had begun and Sasuke was getting his ass handed to him. Yoroi was not going easy on him. Every hit was draining more and more of Sasuke's chakra.

"If his chakra is drained fully…then what?" Chihero caught on quickly to why Star was getting excited.

Star smirked, "Then he'll use the curse mark's power."

Sasuke has in the middle of dancing leaf shadow, and was straining his sharingan, causing his curse mark to spread.

_'Yes!'_ Star thought as she took a step closer and gripped the railing. Not once taking her eyes off him or even blinking.

Sasuke could feel the mark's power overtaking him as they floated in the air. He thought of Sakura crying and begging him to stop, then of Naruto, and finally, he flashed back to training with Star as a child. His eyes widened and the curse mark receded. He swung around Yoroi and forced his body down hard, with a kick, knocking Yoroi out easily.

As soon as Sasuke was announced the winner, he fell to the ground. Kakashi appeared next to him and helped him walk out, "I'll take care of him."

Star watched as they walked out. When they were out of sight she saw the sound Ninja's sensei disappear. She smirked, _'Oh Orochimaru.'_

Chihero gasped which brought Star back to the fights. She looked at the names on the screen, Shino Aburame and Zaku Abumi, then down to see who the hell those people were.

One was a leaf rookie and the other was a sound ninja, but both his arms were wrapped up and broken.

"How will that sound ninja fight?" Chihero whimpered. She didn't really like violence. She never wanted to be a ninja in the first place, but she had promised Star long ago that she would follow her wherever she chose to go. All Chihero wanted was to be useful and help Star accomplish her dreams.

The fight ended rather quickly, the result was Zaku getting his arms blown up, bugs plugging the holes in his hands where he shot his wind.

The next names were called. Kankuro and Misumi Tsurugi, another member of Kabuto's squad.

The two walked down to the arena. As Kankuro passed Chihero she smiled, "Do your best!"

"Will do!" he said as he pat her head.

She blushed and Star looked at her, then to Kankuro and smirked.

"Crush much?" Star teased.

"NO!" Chihero struggled not to yell.

Star tuned back into the fight to see that the Kankuro's opponent was able to stretch his limbs and managed to wrap them all around Kankuro. His head was hanging there; it appeared his neck had been snapped.

Star looked to see Chihero smiling.

_'Isn't that the guy you like Chihero? He's dead.'_ Star sighed.

Suddenly, Kankuro's head turned to face his opponent to reveal Crow, Kankuro's puppet.

Star's eyes widened, "Go Kankuro."

From that point it was over quickly, with Kankuro returning to his teammates with victory.

Star high fived Kankuro as he walked by, but was brought to reality as her arm was tugged on by Chihero. She looked at the girl, whose mouth was hung open and both eyes wide, she was shocked at something. When Star looked at the screen, she saw exactly why.

Star's name was on the screen, and under it was Shiori's.

"Hold on" Sakura yelled, "You can fight a member of your own team?!"

The sickly Procter coughed and thought for a moment before shaking his head and signaling the girls down to him.

"No way!" Shiori smirked at Star.

Star couldn't keep the smile off her face; she had been waiting for a day like this for too long.

The two had not gotten along since they were children. It all started after about a year of living in the sand village.

_Star chased Chihero around happily, trying to catch her. She stopped when she ran past a tree that sounded like it was crying. She turned and walked back over to it. She peeked around to the other side to see a black haired, green eyed girl crying. Star kneeled down and put a hand on the girl's shoulder, "What's wrong?"_

_ Shiori snapped her head up and slapped Star's hand away. She glared at the girl and pushed her down. She climbed on top of Star's stomach and started punching her over and over while she screamed, "It's not fair! It's not! Why them? Why my parents?!"_

_ When She stopped punching, Star's face was broken and bloody, yet she wore a smile._

_ "Why are you smiling?!" Shiori screeched._

_ She felt sand around her body and was instantly restrained by a wave of sand._

_ She turned the best she could and saw Gaara using his sand to hold her in place. Star stood up with Chihero's help and walked over to Shiori. She looked at her sincerely, "We're the same."_

_ Shiori's eyes widened as some of her friends arrived._

_ "Ew! It's the Demon boy and that girl with the angry goddess inside her! Get them!" The group of kids yelled as they tried attacking the three kids. Star pushed Chihero and made her run away as the group jumped on Gaara and started kicking and punching him._

_ The sand receded and Star screamed, "Make them stop!"_

_ Shiori just smirked, "No. I don't think so."_

_ Gaara used his sand to push them all away and was about to use sand coffin on all of them, but Star grabbed his hand, "No. If you kill them, it'll prove nothing but their point."_

_ Gaara released his fist and watched as the kids ran away screaming; all but Shiori who faced them with a serious look on her face, "I don't care how powerful you both are. One day, I'll kill you both so that our village can be safe!"_

_ "Then I'll kill you first." Star narrowed her eyes._

"Begin." The Procter commanded.

Star opened her eyes as the memory sunk back into her mind and activated her sharingan.

Shiori swung her boomerang towards Star and jumped over it. She rushed toward Shiori who couldn't see her, and punched her right in the face. The boomerang was on its way back and cut deep into Star's arm.

Shiori got up and ran to her weapon; she picked it up and charged at Star. She brought the weapon down and cut into Star's chest. Star fell back and glared at Shiori.

The girl just smirked, "Is this all you've got?!"

The Hokage watched the scene and sighed; he whispered to another jounin, "That is without a doubt the girl I thought it was. We need to speak with her when this is over."

"Yes Hokage." The jounin responded.

Star stood up and smiled, "You know, for someone who sees me fight all the time, you sure are forgetful. Rather dumb of you think I'd let you get one hit in without another motive."

Shiori began to shake from realization. She looked down to see some of Star's blood on her skin.

"I wonder if it's soaked in at all yet…" Star pondered as she made a few hand signs.

She held both hands in the air, then brought them down as if she was smacking a desk. Shiori's form contorted and was forced face first into the ground.

Chihero cringed at the scene. Tears began to flow; she didn't want to ever see this fight happen.

The hokage sighed, "No doubt it's her now. The sharingan, the special blood jutsu only her mother could do. It all adds up, but how the hell did she end up in the sand village? More importantly, why did they never say anything to us?"

Star sat there a few moments, giving Shiori time to strike back. But her teammate knew better. Star's blood chakra had seeped into her skin and was slowly making its way through her body. Once it reached her heart, one hand gesture could destroy her.

Shiori waited patiently on the floor for Star to make her move. Star just looked at her with puppy eyes, "Awe! You're waiting for me? Please, I dare you, do something. You're too weak."

Shiori snapped and jumped up, regaining some confidence. If she could immobilize Star, it was all over. She threw her blade again, this time it missed completely.

Star sighed, "I thought you'd be more interesting."

She sensed the blade returning and turned around. She grabbed it with both hands; it cut her deep once again. She flung the weapon to the opposite side of the room and smiled, "The thing you seem to forget about me is that I know that weapon almost as well as I know you. No matter what angle you throw it at or how many plans you make, you'll always fail."

Shiori stiffened as Star made a loose fist with her hand. She began to slowly squeeze her fist and Shiori began to fall to the floor, gripping her chest.

Star was about to crush it fully, but Chihero's voice erupted, "NO!"

Star glanced back to see Chihero covered in tears. She sighed and released her grip. She walked over to where Shiori was lying. She was not completely unconscious, so Star held her head and kicked her right in the face, causing her to at last lose consciousness.

Chihero sighed and smiled. She wasn't expecting Star to give up so easy. She was stubborn after all.

As they announced Star the winner, she picked up Shiori's weapon and followed her and the medics out.

When Shiori began to come to, she opened her eyes to see Star staring back at her. She pointed at the weapon in her hand and showed she was leaving it against the wall. She began to walk out of the room to go back and watch the last fights, but Shiori's weak voice made her stop, "Why didn't you kill me?"

"Didn't I tell you this years ago…we're the same." She smiled and walked away.


	7. Chapter 6: Preliminary Rounds Part Two

When Star returned to the room, it was down to the last few people. All that remained were Rock Lee, Choji, Gaara, Kabuto, Chihero, and that mummy sound ninja, Dosu Star thought his name was.

Star ran up to Chihero and asked how the last few fights were. Chihero smiled, "Good, Sakura and Ino both tied, but in a losing way. Temari won her fight against a hidden leaf kunoichi…Tenten was it? Shikamaru beat that sound ninja girl. Naruto beat the dog guy and Neji Hyuga beat his cousin Hinata. You missed out, they were good battles."

"Oh well. Who's next?" Star asked as she looked to the screen.

The computer stopped and Star sighed, "Your time to shine kid."

Chihero looked up to see her name displayed, under it was Kabuto's. She frowned, "I know nothing about him…what do I expect?"

"Don't worry, you'll be alright." Star assured her before she walked down to the arena.

The Procter spoke up, "Let the match begin."

Chihero pulled a scroll from her back and quickly used her blood to open the seal on it. A puppet appeared and she connected her chakra strings to it. Kabuto smiled and ran towards it and started fighting the puppet with tai-jutsu.

_'So he's not going to reveal his strengths?'_ Star wondered.

Chihero didn't have to do much; she just controlled the puppet, doing her best to avoid it breaking.

Unfortunately, it broke under one heavy punch anyway. Chihero pulled back and released her strings. Once the puppet was out of the way, Kabuto went straight for Chihero. He got a direct hit to her chest, knocking the wind out of her. She doubled over in pain. He elbowed her back and she fell to the ground. She struggled to breath. She started hyperventilating from anxiety. She soon found herself unconscious on the ground. Sakura watched painfully, she felt bad for the poor girl.

She thought back to how Shiori had fought, and then she thought of Star. _'Those two are insanely powerful. How does that poor girl even last?'_ She wondered.

Her question was answered quickly as she watched Star jump into the arena and pick up Chihero, "I'll take her to the infirmary."

The Procter nodded, declaring Kabuto the victor.

As they exited, Star heard Gaara's sand stir, he must have been next.

_'I have to watch…'_ She thought.

Kabuto appeared beside her, "Let me carry her, it's the least I can do."

"As much as I trust you, the answer is no." She replied coldly.

He looked at her in shock, "What?"

"She's my responsibility…and my friend." Star smiled at him.

He sighed, "I understand. I went easy on her."

"I know." She chuckled.

Once at the infirmary, Star laid her on a cot and the medical ninjas went to work on her.

One looked confused, "She's fine. Only a little bruising."

"Well, she's something." Kabuto laughed.

Star laughed with him until she realized Shiori was gone.

She looked out the window and saw her training.

"Sir, is that ok?" Star asked while pointing to Shiori.

"Well, she doesn't listen so; I suppose it'll be alright." He said thoughtfully.

"I see, well, please take care of my friend…friends" she started while looking back at Shiori, "I have to go back."

"Will do." He smiled.

When Star came back, she saw Gaara lying in a pile of sand, he wasn't looking too good. She looked to his opponent, Lee, who was trapped by his arm and leg in sand coffin. Gaara crushed the limbs before Gai sensei appeared to stop the match. Gaara was declared the victor.

Gaara walked over to Star, she could tell he needed medical help, but was too stubborn to take it.

Star sighed and sat him down, she began to heal him.

Sakura saw across the arena, Kakashi had returned for the moment. Sakura looked at him, "What is she doing?"

"She must be a medical ninja, she's healing him." Kakashi explained.

"Shouldn't a medic do that?" Sakura was skeptical.

"Have you ever met a person so distrusting that they would never allow another person to touch them?" Kakashi asked.

"I've never met anyone like that." Sakura replied.

"Then you wouldn't understand. Gaara is obviously wary of people, he must trust her a great deal to allow such actions." Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"If he has at least one friend then why is he so sadistic?" Sakura shivered.

Naruto looked up at her, "Because when your beat down by everyone around you, and you befriend someone who's the same, you're both cold. It's hard to warm up someone when you're cold as well."

Sakura looked at him, wide eyed, _'Oh Naruto…'_

Star suddenly appeared in front of Kakashi. She bowed her head respectively, then looked up, "How is Sasuke?"

"Just fine, he's in the hospital now, no visitors though." Kakashi explained.

"I see. Well…thanks!" Star smiled before disappearing and reappearing next to Gaara.

She lowered herself to sit next to him. He gave a really bad smile, "Thank you."

_'He looks terrifying…ah well; it's the thought that counts.'_ She thought as she smiled and replied, "No problem!"

The last match was going to be between Dosu and Choji. She could hear the fat boy complaining across the room.

Then suddenly, he announced how he was going to kick Dosu's ass, in the name of all you can eat barbeque.

Star couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm for food. Gaara watched her closely.

She looked at him, "What?"

"Do you ever wish you had grown up here?" Gaara questioned.

She thought over her answer, "Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder how my life would be if my parents had lived and if Itachi had never slaughtered my clan…but I always come to the same conclusion. I would've never met you or Chihero…I wouldn't change anything!"

Gaara frowned at her smile, "You're a liar. If you truly felt that way, you wouldn't be holding on to so much hatred for Itachi, and you wouldn't want to destroy the village."

"I'm being honest." She defended.

Gaara just glared at her, "Actions speak louder than words Star, you always forget that."

She stared at him and let her jaw drop. How could he go from trying to smile at her to lecturing her in such a short period of time?

"Dosu is the victor." The Procter announced.

The hokage spoke up, "You have a month until the final exam, train and rest. Prepare."

Everyone began to leave. Gaara helped Star up but her arm was grabbed by a Jounin from the leaf.

She looked at him angrily and pulled away, "What?"

"You have to come with me. The Hokage wants to speak with you." He explained himself.

She glared, "Ok fine, but for future reference, I don't like being touched."

"My apologies. Come." He said simply as he started leaving the room.

Star shrugged at Gaara's questioning look and followed the jounin.

When they arrived in the Hokage's office, he had a chair in front of his desk. He motioned for her to sit and for the jounin to leave. Both did as instructed.

"Hoshi Uchiha…you were missing, presumed dead. So, how is it you are not missing and very much alive?" he questioned.

"I escaped the village and didn't know what else to do. I was a child, I was scared. I kept running until I happened upon the sand village. The Kazekage took me in upon hearing my story. He feared Itachi would return for me, so he wanted me to stay safe living there. He gave me a new name, a new life." She explained, only partially lying.

The hokage seemed to trust her instantly, but still carried some doubt deep down.

"If you tell me the whole truth, I promise that no harm will come to you and no one will be in any trouble." He persuaded.

She sighed and stayed strong, "No, that's the whole truth."

He gave a small smile, "Alright, that's all then. I'll speak to the Kazekage when he arrives for the final phase of the exam."

"About?" she questioned.

"About you returning here to stay of course. You're one of us, and I'm certain we could teach you better." He laughed.

She stayed serious, "Suna is my home now. Chihero…and even Shiori are my teammates. I can't leave them…and Gaara…oh Gaara."

She began to panic, but the hokage walked around his desk and put a hand on her shoulder, "You want to remain in Suna?"

Star had to seriously think about that. This was all too much for one day. She was feeling the pressure and she was starting to crack under it.

"You don't need to decide now. I'll give you the month. Come to me the day of the final exam and tell me then." He compromised.

She nodded and turned to leave the room. She stopped as she opened the door, "Lord Hokage?"

"Hm?"

"Can I have special permission to visit Sasuke?" she asked kindly.

"He's not conscious." He explained.

"I would still appreciate it…please?" she begged without once turning her head.

He sighed heavily, "Alright fine. You win. You can go first thing tomorrow. I'll give you an hour. Does he know?"

"He was the first here to know." She smiled as she closed the door and ran to the hospital to visit Chihero and Shiori.


	8. Chapter 7: Training

After about a week, Sasuke was released from the hospital and was ready to start training.

He went home early the day he was released and decided to rest a little in his own bed. He fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

"I don't think that's a very good idea…" Chihero whined as she ate her breakfast with her team.

"I have to agree with miss faints over here." Shiori teased.

"One, you weren't even there, don't tease her. Two, I can do as I please, and I want to see my old house again. That's all." Star defended.

"Do what you want, but don't come back even more traumatized. I won't go anywhere near my old house. You couldn't pay me enough to go back there." Shiori snapped.

"Good thing I'm not you." Star smiled as she exited the inn they were staying at.

She walked awhile until she reached the compound where the Uchiha clan had once lived. She had never noticed how far it was from the heart of the village.

She entered cautiously, as if someone might yell at her if they saw her. To her relief, it was completely abandoned.

She walked down a path that led directly to her old home. She stopped and stared at the door in front of her. She inhaled deep and held it in; only exhaling once the door was all the way open.

Everything was clean, and put away. Someone must have put everything where it was supposed to be. She went to her kitchen, relieved the blood was gone, and no trace of any murder was left.

She walked up a narrow staircase and stopped at the first door she saw. She opened it and walked into a nursery. She walked over to the crib at the other end of the room. She placed a hand on the side and looked into it. The image of her dead baby brother flashed before her eyes, and she had to hold her hand over her mouth to keep herself from vomiting.

She ran out of the house and walked a little deeper into the mini-village to find Sasuke's old home.

She slid the door open and stopped when she saw shoes on the ground before her. She took hers off and ran around the house. When she reached Sasuke's old room, she nearly had a heart attack seeing him in there.

She was shocked, _'He still lives here…and after everything…'_

He began to stir in his bed. She tip toed around to avoid waking him up. She looked at the only three pictures in his room. One was of team seven; she couldn't help but laugh at the way he and Naruto were glaring.

She went to the next frame and saw a picture of him and his family. It made her smile to see them all together like that. She picked up the last one and was surprised to see it was a picture of her on Itachi's shoulders while Itachi held Sasuke's hand. They were so young and happy back then…

She felt a hand grab her shoulder hard and it pulled her back. She fell right on her butt and looked up. Sasuke was glaring at her, "What the hell are you doing here?"

She wanted to apologize, but before she did, anger overtook her. She screamed, "What am I doing here?! I used to be a part of the clan you know! They were my clan too…my family…my friends. You aren't the only one who's suffering!"

His eyes widened as he let his head fall a bit. His bangs were now covering his eyes, he looked pretty defeated, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean it like that…"

She sighed and stood up, "I know."

She realized she was still holding the picture of them. She handed it back to him. She swore she saw him smile when he saw it, but only a moment.

"Remember that day?" She smiled.

"I'd rather not." He said coldly.

"Oh…" she looked down.

He sighed and put the frame back in place, "Let's train, shall we?"

She perked up a little, "Ok."

They went out into the training grounds and started fighting. It didn't take long for Sasuke to pin Star to a tree using Kunai.

He approached her and got in her face as she tried to pull her arms free, "Looks like I win this round. You're lucky I have good aim. I could've put them through your arms rather than you cloths."

Star smirked and leaned her head forward slightly and kissed the unsuspecting Uchiha. He tried to push her off but she pulled her arm free in time and held a kunai to his back, "Looks like I win actually."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "That was just not fair."

"Maybe if you weren't so afraid of girls and kisses, you would've gotten through that." She teased.

"I'm not afraid of either of those things." He glared.

"Then why did you get so stiff?" she questioned.

He sighed, thinking back to the accidental Naruto kiss, then back to Star kissing him. He rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I just expected to kiss someone I cared about."

Star laughed, "So no one at all then?!"

He started to get frustrated, "I do have the capacity to love you know."

"Everyone does. Question is who do you love?" Star asked with a huge evil grin.

"Well, I wouldn't say I love this person, but I do care for them a great deal." He started to open up, feeling instantly comfortable with his old friend.

"And…?" she began to get excited. She had her own theories, but she didn't want to be presumptuous.

He started to close himself off again, "Forget I said anything."

He began to walk away and Star just smiled sadly at the ground behind him, "You can trust me."

"I know…it's just…never mind." He concluded as he walked away.

Star gave in and started to walk in a separate direction, but then it hit her, "Wait" she yelled, "We aren't done training yet!"

He was already gone, he was fast after all.

She sighed and walked back to the inn. When she arrived, she found Shiori all alone.

"Where's Chihero?" Star asked.

"Out back I think." Shiori replied, not taking her eyes off the scroll in her hands.

Star walked around the back of the inn and saw Chihero practicing with her puppets.

"You didn't proceed to the final rounds. Why on earth are you training so hard?" Star asked as nicely as she could.

"That's obvious, isn't it?" Chihero smiled, her face covered in dirt and sweat.

"Not really…" Star sighed.

"I need to be able to pull my weight from now on." She smiled.

Star just stared for a moment. Once it processed in her head, she smiled, "I'm sure you'll do it!"

Chihero laughed and continued practicing. Star sat under a tree and just watched her friend practice. A few hours passed before a new presence was with her.

"How's training going?" the sly voice asked.

"Obviously well." Star smiled up to the branch the man was sitting on.

"I saw your little kiss, how cute." He fake gushed.

She snickered, "It wasn't like that. I was simply doing my duty as a ninja to win the round."

"I'm sure it was awful for you." He teased.

"It really isn't like that Lord Orochimaru." She smiled again.

He jumped down from the tree and sat beside her, wearing the face of a ninja he probably just killed.

"How's he coming along?" He asked.

"Just fine." She replied a little cold.

"Oh, is my little dove having second thoughts?" He asked mockingly.

"Why would I?" she asked as if he was stupid.

He paused before answering, "You're both Uchiha."

He stood up and disappeared as Chihero ran over. She stopped and looked around confused.

"What?" Star asked.

"I thought I saw someone here with you!" She frowned.

Star laughed, "I've been alone this whole time, you must be losing it."

Chihero sighed, "I suppose I must be."

Star smiled and stood up. She grabbed Chihero's hand and pulled her inside, where dinner was waiting for them. Star ate quickly then ran up to Gaara's room. She banged loudly on the door. It opened after some sounds from the other side.

Temari peeked her head out and sighed when she saw it was only Star, "He isn't here."

"Where is he?" She asked.

"Probably on the roof." Temari gave her best smile as she closed the door.

Star climbed onto the roof and sat next to her red haired friend. She leaned back and stared up at the stars, "The sky looks so different when you aren't in the dessert."

"I suppose. Now why did you really come up here?" Gaara looked at her expectantly.

She sighed, "Nothing gets past you my friend."

"Well?" He was getting impatient.

"I just…I'm regretting a lot." She tried to stay vague.

He looked up at the sky, "It's about time you started using that brain of yours. It isn't too late to change your mind."

"Yes it is." Star frowned.

"You can create your own path Hoshi."

She shrugged but smiled, "I missed my name so much."

"It suits you." Gaara leaned back.

"If he leaves the village to join Orochimaru, I have to go with him." She worried.

"You don't owe anyone anything. Orochimaru and Sasuke may want you to go, but that doesn't mean you have to. You can leave this all behind. Besides, aren't you tired of being the bad guy?" Gaara asked.

Star looked at him and just stared for a few minutes before responding, "I have to think about this."


End file.
